Drive out Distraction

Two seconds is all it takes for a distracted driver to double their risk of collision. Texting while driving? Your eyes are off the road for an average of five seconds, increasing your risk of a crash by 23 times. But the risks of distracted driving go beyond smartphones and texting.

Through a partnership with the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF), Drop It And Drive (DIAD)™ and The Co-operators, the Canadian Coalition on Distracted Driving (CCDD) was formed. The CCDD, the first coalition of its kind in Canada, represents a broad cross-section of stakeholders from government, police, academia, industry, not-for-profit sector and community. The goal of the committee was to develop a National Action Plan to help combat distracted driving in Canada.

A plan of action

The National Action Plan has four main areas of focus. It’s a call to action to inspire and engage people and agencies across Canada concerned about distracted driving.

Education and Prevention - Build a repository of relevant distracted driving information and an associated toolkit to share evidence-based practices.

Enforcement - Develop educational materials for police agencies to increase awareness among officers about the risks associated with distracted driving and the importance of enforcement to change driver behaviour.

Data and Research - Document the sources of distracted driving data that are publicly available. And establish a uniform, operational definition of distracted driving.

Technology and Industry - Identify opportunities to improve data collection and develop a concrete business case that illustrates the costs to employers associated with distracted driving.

Read the full report to learn more about distraction-free driving in Canada.

Our Commitment to Road Safety

In addition to our work with the CCDD, our program Drive out Distraction is raising awareness and encouraging Canadians to change their driving habits. We’ve created a Public Service Announcement – “Treat driving like it’s your job” – to remind people that driving requires your full attention.

Although there’s a great deal of activity underway in Canada related to distracted driving, a gap in dedicated co-ordination and communication continues to exist. By working together, we can reduce the risk of distracted driving and safely share our roads.